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Sinister Reads for a Foggy August

Annie Tittiger | Photo: Courtesy of Publishers | July 31, 2015

Summer is coming.

It’s summer—except in San Francisco, where the shrouding fog makes you want to grab a warm blanket and a good book. And, as luck would have it, three Bay Area authors have penned some dark and comedic (or just plain dark) books to match your mood.

BLACK HOLESoft Skull Press, Aug. 11
Comedian and poet Bucky Sinister’s debut novel follows drug-addled 43-year-old Chuck, once an esteemed party animal, who now cleans tanks for a startup that clones miniature pet whales for rich people. When he discovers a drug that never runs out, a downward spiral like none other begins. Read it if: you need to remember why you left the ’80s in the ’80s.

THE OYSTER WARCounterpoint Press, Aug. 11
How’s this for an unexpected fact? Oysters are not native to San Francisco Bay. That’s just one of the truth-bombs that first-time author Summer Brennan throws into her studied look at the Drakes Bay Oyster Company lawsuit and the many other business-versus-conservation battles that have roiled local waters. Read it if: you like contemplating humankind’s impact on the natural world.

CHASING SECRETSRandom House, Aug. 4
Newbery Honor–winning children’s author Gennifer Choldenko tells the story of 13-year-old Lizzie, an ambitious young doctor-in-training during turn-of-the-century San Francisco who unravels the secret behind Chinatown’s quarantine while her aunt tries to make her stay put and wear a corset. Read it if: you still have days to kill before school starts again.